So here we are once again. Today is 2022 Earth Overshoot Day – “the date when humanity has used all the biological resources that Earth regenerates during the entire year” (to quote the website of the organisation itself).
That this date should, for yet another year, come barely more than halfway through the actual year continues to be an indictment of our society and our collective failure to overcome the challenges we face.
That said, this is not a moment for despair. Indeed, I was very pleased to see that an area of focus is what they have described as the Power Of Possibility – with a whole range of suggested solutions & frameworks, along with helpful guidance on the extent to which these things would move the needle (expressed as the number of days by which it would Move The Date).
As I write this I am still dipping into various sections, out of the many on display. But with respect to our own industry, two things stand out so far:
The first is that I am yet to see Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) or Vertical Farming (VF) amongst the list of solutions.
The second is a more tricky, but also a perennial problem, which is how to divide things up into categories, without inadvertently creating silos. A classic example of this would be the many and various ways in which food and energy are inextricably intertwined. Another, following on from this, would be how these things link to transport, to resource flows, and ultimately to circular economies.
This is not, I hasten to add, a criticism of the organisers. It is, as I say, a problem which comes up again and again, and to which it can be very difficult to find good solutions. If you try to show all the connections, it can get really messy and confusing very quickly! It certainly doesn’t tend to lend itself to clear concise communication.
However, one of the things about our industry is that we are increasingly forced to face this complexity, whether we want to or not! Fortunately, it’s also fair to say that for many in the space (myself very much included), this complexity is the most exciting, challenging and inspiring part.
In the end, the absolutely crucial thing of course, is that we figure out how to move that date – how to live within our means on this miraculous spaceship earth we call home. It bears repeating again and again that neither VF nor CEA are the silver bullet to fix everything – there is no silver bullet.
But we can all play our part, and I personally am immensely grateful to have the chance to do my bit, as part of a CEA/VF industry that is generating big ideas and innovating amazing solutions! I genuinely believe in the Power Of Possibility, so I’m going to finish by sharing this video with you… maybe you’ll be inspired too!
